To Wytheville and Back!

I was hijacked off to Wytheville, Virginia yesterday for a round of picnicking, antiquing and quilt shop fun.

The culprits in quilt-crime?  Melinda and Wendy from Davidson, North Carolina!

Little did I know when throwing myself into the shenanigans just how much I needed this day. 

The conversations in the car and around a picnic lunch, and folks we met along the way being even more important that the shopping by itself.

But the shopping was good, too!

This photo was my attempt on a cloudy Tuesday morning to get a photo of the Wytheville, VA banners on the lamp post.

Can you see it?

Cropping in closer.

Wytheville.  There’s only one!

(What kind of slogan is this?  Just what does it mean, really?!)

Maybe it meant that there was only one gazebo in town!

Just perfect for a planned ahead picnic!

Picnicking is my absolute favorite method of eating on the go.  And these gals came prepared with all of the fixings for chicken salad sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies, ice tea – the works!

We sat and chatted inside the gazebo while we ate– SO good! Why is it that food always tastes better outside?

And off to Sew What Fabrics & Batiks, Etc we go!

Two happy gals on the front porch!

Our mission?  Wendy needs stuff for a purse/bag class coming up and Melinda is on the lookout for red/green batiks for a Christmas quilt, as well as some backings and other fabrics for projects in progress.

And just while we are taking this photo, who comes out the door behind them?!?

DOUBLE TROUBLE!!

My Virginia buddies Kevin Womack and Becky Clay – all the way from near Lynchburg, VA! (Wearing Kevin’s wonderful dye printed shirts none the less.  Are these mono-printing Kevin?!?)

This was such an amazing long shot – Kevin and Becky live close to 125 miles from Wytheville.  Not exactly their neck of the woods – but Becky’s Pfaff was acting up and needed to come for some fixing so they made a day of it.  And ran into us in the process.

I don’t see these folks often enough – it’s just not easy being 100 miles away in either direction, but we’ll have to make some time to have some sew days together once I’m off the road for the holidays.

Wendy, Melinda and I hit the sale room right off – we kept the gal doing the cutting up there quite busy for a while.  Much browsing, touching, plotting and planning and this is all that I left with:

4 neutral-ish half-yard cuts.  That’s it!

I think the idea that I may be (in the next few years or so) moving the entirety of my stash up here once the retreat gets going has me feeling just a bit overwhelmed with what I actually own. 

And I DO NOT plan on downsizing unless it is through sewing everything up.  As I’ve said before, this girl does not understand de-stashing when it is all good fabric just needing a project.  So let the sewing it up CONTINUE!

Just next door to the quilt shop!

I love this colorful block of buildings in any season, but happy I got to see this one at the end of summer when the flowers were still so pretty.

I call this one the INSPIRATION house – even though that isn’t the name it really bears.  Can you see the words under the window boxes?

Believe.

Create.

Dream.

Imagine.

Okay, I will!

On the way home I thought about what I would have missed if I had said "NO" to this day. Sometimes we've just got to be spontaneous and take the chance even if we have a to-do list as long as our arms that need attention, a full inbox, and a multitude of deadlines.

Take the hijack day.  You need it!

Driving past the 1908 Courthouse in Independence, VA.

I  missed the best view of the courthouse for my photo – the light turned green before I could get it framed up and ready to shoot.  Oh SHOOT!  But I love this old courthouse – and I get a kick out of knowing that the architect who designed the courthouse is also the architect who designed Quiltville Inn.

So happy to have these ladies come for a visit and kidnap me away!

Today it won’t be as fun – I’ve got some big dental work happening. I’ve lost a good chunk of a filling and have to have that reamed out and re-filled.

Perhaps I’ll allow the numbness to wear off by doing some antique mall wandering in West Jefferson as well?

Oh, and I’ll show you what we found yesterday in tomorrow’s post – it needs its OWN!

Did you enter to win our September Quilty Box? It and the Quilty Box mini will be drawn for on Friday evening.  Don’t forget to enter to win ON THAT POST.

Quiltville Quote of the Day.

Vintage Spider Web quilt is made of slinky rayon and found during yesterday's antiquing adventures-

Keep an eye on your thoughts, and make sure they lift you up not pull you down!

Stay positive!